FAIRFIELD -- A fifth-place prediction in the league coaches' poll and just one player named to the All-Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference preseason team -- those were the preseason accolades handed to the Fairfield women's basketball team.

Feel free to pull out your Rodney Dangerfield imitation if you'd like. Grab your tie, give it a couple of tugs and say, "I tell ya ... I get no respect ... no respect at all."

The Stags, coming off a 24-9 season, a berth in the MAAC tournament championship game and an appearance in the women's NIT, were given just that by the rest of the conference's coaches, no respect. Yes, Taryn Johnson and Desiree Pina had graduated, but a strong core returned, including Katelyn Linney (a MAAC third-team preseason pick), Brittany Obi-Talbot, Brittany MacFarlane, Alexys Vazquez, Christelle Akon-Akech, Laura Vetra and Katie Cizynski.

But a middle-of-the-pack finish was what the MAAC coaches predicted.

Almost halfway through conference play, Fairfield is making the rest of the MAAC coaches look mighty silly with that preseason prediction. The Stags, who defeated Siena Friday night, stand 12-6 overall and 6-1 in the MAAC -- a game behind Marist for first place in the conference. The Stags play Rider today at 2 p.m. at Alumni Hall looking for a sixth straight victory.

Oh, and those teams picked ahead of them in the preseason, Marist, Niagara, Loyola and Canisius? Fairfield's already beaten both Niagara and Loyola. (They play Canisius twice in February.) Only the league-leading Red Foxes have beaten the Stags, and that was by five points on their home floor.

"I think that's it, this year we're a `team.' We're doing it all together," said Cizynski, the Stags' leading scorer and rebounder. "We need a good amount of us to be successful each game. We can't rest any game. Every game is going to be a battle. And we need all of us to contribute and I think that's what we're doing."

Throw in other things like Felicia DaCruz leading the team in assists with 61, MacFarlane (nine blocks) averaging 4.2 rebounds and Akon-Akech with 13 steals, and you're getting a little from a lot.

But it quickly adds up.

"I think it has to be an effort by committee," Stags head coach Joe Frager said. "I think the good thing is they all realize that they all need each other out there, because we don't have that dominant star who's going to have the ball in her hands 80 to 90 percent of the time, like Des and TJ did (last season). That's been a real strength for us this year."

Like Linney hitting four 3-pointers (and finishing with 17 points) in a road win at Butler. Like Vazquez making seven 3's in a rout of Wagner. Like Akon-Akech with 10 rebounds in a win over the Greyhounds. Like Cizynski with four double-doubles. Everyone is doing what they can.

"I think that everyone's picked it up a notch," Cizynski said. "Everyone knows that they had to step up this season and they have. We're getting good post play with me and Obi, and Lex (Alexys) and Linney can really hit outside, so take away one and you still have to deal with the other.

"If every game, it switches who's high scorer or whatever, that's fine with me. I just want us to win because a lot of people came into the season thinking we're not going to do so well. I think we, ourselves, had doubts because we lost such major players. We're pulling it together and doing well as a team."